Indian Army officer posted in Congo, goes missing

Democratic Republic of the Congo, First Published 12, Sep 2019, 10:31 AM IST

Highlights

An Indian Army officer who had been posted in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been missing since Saturday afternoon. Search operations underway.

Congo: An Indian Army officer who was posted in the India contingent in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been missing since Saturday afternoon. The officer has been identified as Lt Col Gaurav Solanki.

The officer was last seen kayaking in Lake Kivu and search operations still underway. According to a report, three Army officers who were posted at the mission were in kayaks, two of which capsized.

The report also said that the officer had removed his life jacket in order to dive into the lake in search of another officer. While the other two officers reached the shore, the Lt Col Gaurav Solanki continues to remain missing.

About two years ago, the Indian peacekeepers in Congo were attacked by 30 armed rebels causing fatal casualties to Indian soldiers. According to reports, the Indian contingent — a Brigade referred to as NKB — is deployed in North Kivu province and covers 43,700 sq km. The brigade assists the UN mission in operations against armed groups.